I stood on the veranda. There she lay on the grass on the old, green, thin cushions. The sun seemed to bake the bricks under my feet. The sky was bright blue as on any South African summer’s day. It seemed a perfect day. Piep, the tiny little chick given me by our maid burrowed its little body next to hers. She smiled and continued to tan. I longed for the affection Piep was getting, the same smile, the expression of such tender love. I cuddled up next to mom. “You’re making me too hot”, mother scathed. The words tore through my little heart and I walked away, sad, disappointed and dejected. The tears in my heart never reached my face that day.

Tears gushed down my face, sobs racked my body. A quarter century must have passed until the tears finally fell. But when they did it seemed like an ocean of emotions suddenly burst forth from the depths of my soul. I had given my life to the Lord almost a decade earlier. I was a married woman, working for the church, a missionary in Korea but devastated by the pain of that memory. “Lord, how do you expect me to forgive?” The pain, the feelings of rejection, the years of emotional abuse were all as real to me as though they had taken place yesterday. The memory of that day is crystal clear, the results of a shattered little soul in the person that I am. Slowly, the Lord, the Potter of my life is taking the anger, molding me, a soul stuck in the memory of a painful childhood and healing me, making me a daughter of the Almighty God. “Lord, help me to love.”

The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be right now. CLICK HERE

JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.

Oh, God bless you hon. If this is true i am so sorry for your hurt and loss. Sometimes people have hardened their hearts and don't know how to show affection as my father didn't. That's another story.:0) I praise the Lord that we have a Heavenly Father who heals our wounds and gives us wisdom through all the heartaches we face, so we too can be a tool for His kingdom. Your writing touched my heart and I pray that you will keep on healing from past hurts. Hugs! Janice

Oooh...so sad. This must have been hard to write, but also healing. I could see the little girl yearning to be cuddled too.
I'm glad you finally found love and the freedom to forgive. Thank you for writing this.